Swine Flu is Now H1N1

If you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig...

How to Avoid Getting Sick at The Gym

The other day I was completely grossed out and horrified when some rude, sneezing, snarfing, and sick person was working out next to me. (Makes no sense, because we’re working out to feel good and get fit/healthy right)? With all the people, sweat, and warmth, gyms are the ideal breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. Here are a few ways to protect yourself and avoid getting sick from nasty germs (and people) at the gym.

Stay home if you're sick.  Do you want to catch a cold from a sick person at the gym? Of course not! And other people don’t want to pick up your sick germs either. If you are have a fever, are sneezing, and/or coughing, you are contagious. Stay home. If you have a cold, give yourself a chance to rest and recover and return to the gym when you are feeling better. If you do feel up to working out, try exercising at home or outdoors instead where you won’t infect others.

If someone is sick, stay away from them. Studies show germs from a sneezing/coughing person travel up to a 4 to 6-feet. So stay at least 8 to 10 feet away from someone who is coughing or sneezing. If the person seems really ill then, inform the gym manager who should ask that member to leave immediately. (Plus, you’ll avoid a potentially uncomfortable confrontation with the person. Let the gym manager play bad cop.)

Clean the gym equipment before and after use.  All gyms should have spray bottles with cleaning solution and paper towels available. Don't assume that the person who used the machine before you cleaned it. Wipe the machine down before you use it and clean it again when you're finished. Clean the handles, keypads, and tension adjusters—any place the person before you may have touched.

Rally your gym to properly clean the equipment. Ask your gym to use green, biodegradable anti-microbial cleaning disinfectant to clean the gym equipment. During flu season the equipment should be cleaned and wiped down frequently during the day, especially during high use periods. *One pet peeve I personally have is when the cleaning crew uses the same filthy rag over and over again. This is spreading germs, not killing them. Speak with the gym manager to inform the cleaning crew to change rags frequently along with washing them afterwards for proper disinfecting.

Wash your hands frequently.  The most important thing you can do to protect yourself from germs at the gym is to frequently wash your hands. Washing your hands with soap and water reduces the risk of transmission of viruses and bacteria. Avoid touching your face, especially your eyes, until you have washed your hands. Most gyms also have available hand sanitizer wipes. Always wash your hands before you leave the gym.

Bring your own towels and mat.  It's best to bring your own towels and mat, especially if you're unsure of your gym's cleaning regimen. Place your towel down on any machine you're going to sit or lie down on. (You might want to invest in an antimicrobial mat that prevents bacterial growth and odor.)

Stay well hydrated. Everyone knows it’s important to drink plenty of water when you are working out. Staying well hydrated keeps your eye, nose, and mouth mucous membranes moist, and less likely for germs to “stick” thus infecting you.

Get out of your sweaty clothes.  Once you're done with your workout, you should change as soon as possible. Your sweaty clothes are the perfect breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. If you don't have time for a shower, at least wash your hands or wipe them down with hand sanitizer.

Keep your feet covered.  Wear flip flops or water shoes when walking around the locker room or pool area to avoid picking up germs or fungus that can cause warts, athlete’s foot, and other issues.

Keep your gym bag clean.  To prevent germs from growing in your gym bag, remove your sweaty clothes, towels, and workout kicks from your bag when you get home from the gym.

Eating healthfully is one of the best ways to stay well.  I recommend my SOUPer Slim Diet ebook, which you can purchase by clicking here.

Frugally Green Shopping Tip

Off to my Sunday morning Farmer's Market using my straw tote then, yoga.  Did you know that if every American used just ONE reusable tote for all shopping trips, we would save more than 60,000 trees?

AND, many grocery stores such as Whole Foods give a cash rebate if you bring a reusable tote.

For more green grocer and weight loss tips buy my digital SOUPer Slim Diet ebook click here, and join my digital Make Healthy A Lifestyle emagazine, click here.

10 Frugally Green Workout Tips

We all agree that we need to do a better job conserving our planet’s limited resources, but where do you begin? Here are 10 simple suggestions that will help you get green into your workout routine without much effort at all. Plus, these eco-friendly changes are easy switches that will save you time and lots of money! How awesome and easy is that?

1. Curb your consumerism. Buy less active wear, expensive running shoes, and/or fad, workout gizmos (that you know are NOT quick-fixes for proper exercise and diet). You’ll leave a smaller carbon footprint and leave more money in your wallet too.
   
2. Recycle your water/sports bottles. Buy a recyclable water bottle instead of plastic one-use water bottles. Recyclable water bottles will save you big bucks in the long run, as most designer waters are very expensive. Many individual 16-ounce designer waters that include minerals and vitamins are now over $2.00 a bottle. These outrageously overpriced waters are unnecessary, as you can obtain all your vitamins and minerals by eating a sensible diet along with taking a daily multivitamin. Did you know that according to the Container Recycling Institute only 23% of plastic bottles are recycled in the US? 38 billion plastic bottles go into landfills in the US each year. Plastic bottles take up to 1000 years to biodegrade. I recommend these two recyclable water bottle companies: MySigg and Klean Kanteen. 
   
3. Use biodegradable body products. Buy biodegradable body wash and shampoo in bulk, which will save you money and decrease bottle use. Then, fill them into smaller, personal-use size reusable bottles. (Most major discount retailers sell biodegradable body wash and shampoo in bulk and oftentimes run brand-name specials.) 
   
4. Join a neighborhood gym that’s within walking distance to where you work and/or live. You’ll be supporting the local economy, saving car gas emissions, and costly parking fees.
   
5. If the weather is fine, walk outside—it’s free. Did you know that out of all motorized pieces of fitness equipment, treadmills use the most energy? 
   
6. Use organic cotton and/or bamboo, or reclaimed fabric towels. Lots of discount retailers sell eco-friendly towels, such as organic cotton, bamboo, or organic cotton-bamboo blend. For example Bed Bath and Beyond, a nationwide retail store, sells them for reasonable prices. They routinely offer 20% coupon specials, which make the towels even more affordable. And, bamboo towels are extremely soft, luxuriant, and absorbent.
   
7. Buy recycled and/or natural fitness products. Fitness product manufacturers such as GIAIM and Natural Fitness Inc., are beginning to manufacture products using recycled materials, especially rubber. 
   
8. Choose eco-friendly organic and/or recycled active wear. Today, there seems to be an over abundance of green materials being made into clothing. Time will tell what materials consumers like best due to price, performance, look, and feel. LuLu Lemon and Giaim offer organic cotton and soy fiber blend, seaweed blend, and recycled polyester active wear for men and women that is form flattering, comfortable, and long-lasting. (I like LuLu Lemon, because their clothes look and fit me best, and their retail stores are built eco-friendly too.) Brooks Sports, Brooks Running, makes a biodegradable athletic running shoe. Another frugally green idea is to shop your local, upscale thrift shops. The best days to find great clothes are Mondays and Tuesdays after folks have dropped off their clothing over the weekend. Thrift shops are hit and miss—so you may need to visit them more than once.
   
9. If you upgrade your home gym, make it eco-friendly. You can easily incorporate all these planet friendly measures when creating your home gym: http://www.intent.com/blog/2009/01/23/be-your-gyms-green-advocate
   
10. Buy used workout DVDs, as it’s a great way to recycle and save money too. You can find great quality, popular used home workout DVDs for less than half price at Amazon and EBay, and Half.com.
    

LA Times: Daily Attacks Against Cancer

The LA Times has an excellent book review article in today's Health Section regarding "Super Foods" that help fight against cancer.  The book by Dr. David Sevan-Schreiber, a 2 time brain cancer survivor, prescribes diet, meditation, and exercise to help fight against cancer. Nutrition is one thing that cancer patients or survivors "can go home and take control of," says Dr. Sevan-Schreiber.

For example, did you know, a component found in the spice turmeric has been shown to inhibit a key chemical pathway in cancer cells? That pathway is important to a cancer cell's ability to keep dividing.

Polyphenols in green tea, including one called EGCG, reduce growth of new blood vessels in animal studies (a process tumors need to grow), and suppress the growth of several cancer cell lines in the lab.

Garlic, leeks and onions strongly inhibit growth of colon, brain, lung, prostate, and breast cancer cells in the lab.

Omega-3 fats in fish oil reduce inflammation, a culprit in cancer and heart disease.

*I think I'm going to have a cup of green tea with my lunch today...

To read the full LA Times Health Section article click here.  To order Dr. Sevan-Schreiber's new book, "Anticancer: A New Way of Life" on Amazon click here.

Awe Inspiring Action Hero Abs

It's not just the boys these days that want Action Hero Abs.  I've been training Ally Walker 1:1 for her upcoming role as a hate-to-love-her FBI agent on Sons of Anarchy.  We're working on the 3 A's--Arms, Ass, and of course Abs.

As Ally says, "You have to have ass to kick ass!"

Check out some awe inspiring Action Hero Ab workouts we're doing at www.MakeHealthyALifestyle.com.

Donald Trump is now on Intent.com!

Donald Trump is now a contributor on Intent.com.  Check out his first post here about when it's time to move on.

Dr. Deepak Chopra and Donald Trump--interesting combination don't cha' think?

April Top Ten iTunes Workout Playlist

Keep some spring in your step as we move away from those cold, winter months. These jams are sure to save your workout on a tired morning, or push you to sprint when you didn’t think you had it in you. That’s why once again I’ve gotten together with some of my hottest, Hollywood exercise friends Keith Irace SoCal group Exercise Manager and Liz Marmesh, Top Personal Trainer in Century City, CA at Equinox Fitness Club to create the perfect Top 10 Hottest Workout iTunes Playlist for you.

We're also giving you a couple old skool tunes with songs by U2, as they recently dropped their new cd, No Line On the Horizon. Use all 10 songs in this order to get you through a 35+-minute uphill walk, interval workout on the elliptical, or a circuit training session—so get out there and move!

1. By my Side—JadaKiss & Ne-Yo (3:30)

2. Amazing—Kanye West (3:58)
3. One—U2 (4:36)
4. Beat It—Fall Out Boy (Feat. John Mayer) (3:53)

5. Beautiful Day—U2 (4:08)
6. Ching A Ling—Missy Elliott (3:43)
7. Poker Face—Lady Gaga (3:57)
8. Day ‘N’ Nite (Crooker’s Remix)—Kid Cudi (4:42)
9. Get On Your Boots—U2 (3:25)
10. Halo—Beyonce (4:21)

A great workout tune tempo should be between 120 and 140 bpm, which roughly corresponds to the average person’s heart rate during a workout routine. A beginning walker’s bpm should be between 110 to 114 bpm, intermediate below 120, and advanced walker/jogger up to 150 bpm.

If you want to be guaranteed a consistent beat, I love downloading pre-mixed Digital Fitness Music album compiled by the fitness pros at Dynamix or iSweat. Both offer hundreds of Digital Fitness Music Albums available in 30, 45 or 60 minute workouts.

Each Dynamix music album offers a variety of music styles including dance, disco, country, rock, with well-known popular songs, in various speeds for different fitness levels. The music plays non-stop on your iPod or MP3. Each album is pre-programmed to keep you on pace to achieve your cardio or strength workout goals. (Yes, this means no cheating since the music speed keeps you going!)

For more inspiring weight loss, nutrition, health, and fitness top trainer tips, join my FREE digital emagazine, Make Healthy A Lifestyle!

Quotes from The Jewish Buddhist

• Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story. 
  
• Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about? 
  
• The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy. 
  
• There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?
  

Coach John Wooden: The Wizard of Westwood

Check out one of my hero's websites, Coach John Wooden.  He always inspires me to push to greatness--especially when times are challenging.

Happy Holidays,

Linda

Gimme' a Break(fast)! High Protein Pancakes

The best way to send your body and mind the message that you plan to have a healthy day is by choosing a healthy breakfast. A great breakfast will jumpstart your metabolism, keep you satiated and energized for a morning workout, and give you something to get out of bed for! Try this High Protein Pancake recipe from The SOUPer Slim Diet ebook, and let it give your morning routine a kick in the pants. These pancakes freeze well individually for up to 4 weeks.

Ingredients
3 Cups Old Fashioned Oats
¾ Cup Ground Flax Seeds
3 Scoops Whey Protein Powder (Vanilla Flavor or otherwise)
3 ½ Cups Liquid Egg Whites

3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1T Ground Cinnamon
1t Vanilla Extract
1. Spray large pan with cooking spray. Blend all ingredients together in large bowl until well mixed.  Then, gently fold in blueberries being careful not to break the blueberries.
2. Place enough batter in pan to create a thin crepe, moving pan around until batter is evenly distributed.
3. Cook until light golden brown. Flip and lightly brown on other side. Serve with 1T sugar free maple syrup.
Serving size: 2 pancakes (1/15 of the batter). Nutritional Content: 150 Calories, 4g fat, 6%, 0g sat fat, 14g protein, 15g carbohydrates, 14g fiber, 5 mg cholesterol, 110mg sodium.


From The SOUPer Slim Diet eBook.  To purchase the book click here.

Confidence is The New, Hot Commodity, and Muscle to Exercise!

Check out this month's Make Healthy A Lifestyle digital E-Magazine!

Click here.

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